CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has become one of the NFL's favorite punching bags — and some of the criticism he's certainly brought on himself.

Even with Newton in the midst of his best stretch of the 2012 NFL season, CBSsports.com reported that Newton was a diva at his first Pro Bowl appearance, turning down players' autograph requests, dissing Ray Lewis and prompting AFC defenders to rush him harder than they did other quarterbacks.

The game was 10 months ago. The story broke this week.

Meanwhile, imagine the hue and cry had Newton — and not the Atlanta Falcons' Matt Ryan — been caught on FOX cameras in Week 4 yelling at the opposition: "Get the (expletive) off our field!" That occurred in the final seconds of the Falcons' 30-28 comeback win over the Panthers at the Georgia Dome.

Newton's leadership skills and character have been in question since his "icon and entertainer" comment before the 2011 Scouting Combine. And while there are mechanical issues Newton must continue to hone, there's no question that — as the face of the struggling Panthers franchise — he has to show growth as a leader of men, as well.

Veteran left tackle Jordan Gross, a critic of Newton's negative Nelly routine as a rookie, said he has seen signs of improvement in recent weeks.

"He's leading the team. He's on the sidelines talking with the O-line, talking with receivers. He's doing the things we all wanted him to do. In the huddle, he's saying the right things," Gross said. "If he can play this way and lead like he is, the sky's the limit for him."

After going through hot-and-cold spells the season's first two months, Newton has accounted for eight touchdowns with no turnovers the past three weeks. He's doing a better job going through his reads, hitting his checkdowns and getting rid of the ball.

"He's getting better. It's not perfect. There are still some ups and downs, and still a lot of things to work on," Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski said this week. "But generally he's going in the right direction and you feel good about the things. And you see progress on tape showing up and things are carrying from the practice field to the games."

After limiting Newton's ability to audible during his Rookie of the Year season, the Panthers have given Newton more freedom at the line of scrimmage to check out of certain plays.

Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Newton's recent success is related to his decision-making. "He's learned not to try to force the ball in certain areas and certain situations," Rivera said. "He's taking more of what they're giving him in terms of his second and third (reads)."

Newton still must improve his accuracy, particularly on shorter throws. He often throws high to veteran wide receiver Steve Smith on slant routes and could do a better job of leading running backs on screen passes.

But for a big, strong thrower, Newton displays nice touch on his deep passes.

The Panthers are 3-9 and a team in transition. They'll have a new general manager in 2013, and more than likely a new coaching staff. It will be vital that the next head coach hire an offensive coordinator who can reach Newton the way Gus Malzahn did at Auburn.

The next staff must work with Newton's footwork — fine-tuning it to improve his accuracy — as well as his head, encouraging him to take the next step as a leader.

Newton said his biggest issue is consistency.

"I sound like a broken record, always repeating myself with things I believe I could work on," Newton said this week. "But everybody could be more consistent in their line of work, whether it's accuracy or terminology or just knowing what coach Chudzinski and (quarterbacks) coach (Mike) Shula wants out of each and every play."